Minchiate Etruria

I was meant to have these cards, and here's how I know:

When I ordered them, I didn't realize they were limited edition and numbered. So I was surprised when I opened the box and found this:

All my life, the numbers 1, 8, and 0 have continually turned up in myriad ways and combinations: addresses, phone numbers, dates, and even the style number on my wedding dress (I'd picked the dress before seeing the style number and was floored). Later in life I learned that 18 is a significant number in Judaism, meaning in an alpha-numeric shorthand "life." In short, this number and variations thereof have followed me my entire life. So when I opened the Minchiate box and saw this, I took it as a sign.

I first heard of the Minchiate when I picked up a book called The Creative Tarot by Jessa Crispin. She described a deck that, instead of the usual 78 cards, had 97. I looked it up and it just so happened Llewellyn and Lo Scarabeo were recreating a Minchiate deck. Out of curiosity, I ordered it.

What makes the difference between these cards and a standard tarot deck? Well, there are 41 Major Arcana cards in the Minchiate. The usual suspects are there (excepting the High Priestess), though reordered somewhat. Then there are four Virtues, four Elements, and the twelve Zodiac.

Ace of Pentacles, Sagittarius, Water cards from the Minchiate

How does one read these additional cards? No idea. The booklet that comes with the deck is thin and offers no information on how to use the cards. I'll be doing some online research soon, but I also think this might be a case where I study the cards for a bit and get a feel for what each wants to tell me.

The pip cards in this deck are plain, rather like the Marseilles tarot decks. They offer no extra visual input, so for those who like to read their pips by the artwork (like the woman in the walled garden on the 9 of Pentacles, say), this deck won't work for you. That said, the artwork, such as it is, is quite lovely and detailed. If you're a collector—which I am; I don't use many of the decks I own, but I keep them because I love the art—you might enjoy adding this one to your shelf. Or wherever you keep your cards.

Ethereal Visions Tarot

It took me almost two years to get this deck. I paid for it in November 2016 and received it today. Which means I'm primed to like it. Why? Because humans are wired to not want to believe that we've wasted our time or money on something. The longer the time and/or the higher the cost, the more we want to love whatever it is that took so long or cost so much.

What I'm saying is, I'm probably biased.

Here's the story in a nutshell: this deck was a Kickstarter, and there were printing issues, and it just kept getting pushed back again and again. Many people asked for and received refunds, but I stuck it out. Because I love Art Deco, and I'd really loved the early sketches I'd seen of this deck.

Now that I'm finally holding it in my hands, I do still love it. Take a look:

Click for larger view.

The photo doesn't really do it justice. I believe it was all the gilding that caused printing problems.

The cards are large and sturdy, but not so stiff as to be difficult to shuffle. The artwork is indeed lovely, though I think I would have liked slightly more saturation in the colors. Some of the cards (see the Eight of Wands above) are fairly traditional in design, others not as much, though all evince the spirit of the most well-known decks. You'll see, too, that there are a couple non-standard cards depicted: The Well and The Artist. Think: Muse and Visionary and you've pretty well got those figured out.

There is a gentleness to this deck that makes it soothing to use. It's a bit coy, though, and so may take a while to get to know. It's flirty. But also sedate. If you don't have patience for that, if you want a deck that speaks more directly or unequivocally, this one isn't it.

So, yes, I like it. And I hope it likes me. But it's going to take time to build a relationship with it. Some decks I feel like I've known forever even if I've only just picked them up. This one, not so much. We're feeling each other out. I hope we can find a connection, particularly after waiting so long to meet.

The Wild Unknown Tarot

I'd been eying this deck for a while, but I also felt for the longest time that it was not meant for me. I actually sent it to a friend for whom it did feel right. But then I just kept coming back to it.

It wasn't until I'd more or less given up tarot that I suddenly felt like it might be okay for me to own this deck. So I used my birthday/holiday money and bought it.

And I love it.

It comes nicely boxed, though I'll say that I had a dickens of a time getting the paper sleeve off the box. Yow. But the packaging under the sleeve is just lovely, very sturdy, good quality.

The guidebook is likewise very nice. Each card has its own two-page spread with the card on the left and the write-up on the right. The book also contains a few spreads to try if you're a beginner.

I feel very intuitively connected to these cards, which is pretty amazing for me because I struggle with intuition, at least when reading for myself. I can read for others quite easily, so the test of a deck (for me) is whether it makes sense when I'm talking to myself. This one answers me clearly. It resonates with me.

It's a very calm deck. Soothing. Deep, like a still pond. Use it in quiet surroundings and really listen. The Wild Unknown Tarot is meant for serious readings, nothing quick or on the fly. This is a deck that demands commitment. If you give it that, I think it will give back one hundred fold.

Ancient Egyptian Fortunetelling Deck

This is an oracle deck created by Paris Debono. It doesn't come with instructions, but there is a Facebook group that gives a general overview of the spread this deck uses—appropriately enough, a pyramid spread. A couple examples below:

 

The top card sets the tone for the reading. The two cards immediately below that one either support or hinder the top card's energy. "The heart of the matter" sits with Card #5, with #4 and #6 influencing that. Then you read the last line through to the outcome at #10. More or less.

It's all very intuitive, which is good for people who try to rely too much on keywords and concrete meanings. However, it's not for everyone, and I'd appreciate some little booklet or something. I mean, I get that Cat, Snake, and Jackal are . . . bad? That Mask and Sphinx suggest things hidden and mysterious. But I'd like a little more.

Still, it's been good practice for me (one of the aforementioned logical types). So maybe a deck like this is just what I need.

20 cards total. Shop this and other decks by Paris here.

Tarot Dice

A friend of mine sent me this link on Facebook, and of course I had to try it. Tarot (which, if you know me, you know I collect) but as dice rather than cards.

You can click on the pic for a better look at the board.

There are drawbacks. For one, this comes in a tube that you are supposed to retain in order to roll the dice (kind of like Yahtzee). Except my tube arrived partially broken. It's still useable, but it doesn't look very pretty. The dice themselves are large, and there are 13 of them, so it's not easy to roll from your hands (yes, I tried).

Anyway, you're supposed to roll the dice from the tube, one at a time, and then place each dice in the appropriate square on the board in order. The board itself is cloth that rolls to go back into the tube. Like the old Pente boards. Because apparently I'm name checking all the old games today.

A die is only considered reversed if it lands reversed in front of the querent. If it lands sideways, you're to consider it upright.

Okay, so the biggest, most obvious drawback becomes the fact that some combinations will never be possible. For example, the King of Pentacles and Justice will never come up in the same reading because they are two sides of the same die. So if you want all possible combinations when doing a Tarot reading, you're better off with traditional cards.

Also, in some cases, the images on the dice are very similar, and I found myself having to carefully check the die against the booklet to make sure I knew exactly what I'd rolled.

That said, I will admit the two readings I attempted came across loud and clear and seemingly quite accurate.

Overall, despite the various issues, I enjoy this as an alternative to cards. The 13-die reading is a lot of information to absorb, but the booklet points out that one can do a Celtic Cross or other kind of reading with the dice as well. I haven't tried that yet, but I might, just out of curiosity.

Notebook Lenormand

I saw this deck in a Facebook group and it really appealed to me, largely because of the use of keywords on the cards.

Being a writer, I like words. Obviously, the keywords on these cards are not the only possible interpretations, but they're good starting points and I think would be especially handy for those just beginning to learn Lenormand.

I like the size of the cards, too, which are not quite as small as some decks. This makes them easier to shuffle. The artwork itself on the cards is nothing special, but the pops of color for the pips/playing cards are nice. If you're more a visual reader, though, this deck may not be the one for you.

The deck itself comes from The Fortune Teller (Paris Debono) in Australia. He has a lot of neat decks on his site. I've got my eye on a couple more, but I can't really see ordering decks from Australia too often. I was lucky to be able to find this one on Amazon (sent by Paris in Australia), and it arrived in good time, well before the estimated date. Nice little box, too. I'm highly satisfied.

Victorian Steampunk Tarot

Not to be confused with the Steampunk Tarot.

This one was a Christmas gift, and it was yet another deck I hadn't heard of. But it's lovely, made of interesting composite images. The cards are somewhat large in size but flexible enough that it's not a problem to shuffle them despite their size. Comes in a great box that you can keep to store the deck and accompanying booklet, too.

Major Arcana on top, Minor Arcana below

I will say a friend of mine who is a graphic designer and very visual didn't much care for the minor arcana in this deck because there aren't visual cues to the meanings of the cards. In the Victorian Steampunk Tarot, the suits are Dragonflies (Cups), Bees (Swords), Moths (Wands), and Beetles (Pentacles). And while there are cups, swords, wands (or, really, torches), and coins on the cards along with the silhouettes of the insects, there isn't much else. So if you don't know the 2 of Cups is a card about union or attraction, then the card isn't going to help you.

But there is a handy guide, and I actually really like the layout of the manual, which is less detailed than some but also much more interesting in some ways. For one thing, it gives a list of which cards in this deck are yes, no, or neutral. And it gives instructions for a yes-or-no reading. Also instructions for a 2-card reading that I really like.

And I do like the artwork. That same graphic designer friend mentioned it was somewhere between Dave McKean and Monty Python, but that's not a bad thing. There is both weight and whimsy here, largely depending on the card. And this mostly pertains to the Major Arcana, but I also like the tone of the minor cards as well.

I got along with these cards almost immediately, so I may be biased. But it is quickly becoming one of my favorite decks to work with.

Universal Fantasy Tarot & Fairy Lights Tarot

More lovely decks for my collection!

Both of these come from the prolific Lo Scarabeo. The Universal Fantasy deck is colorful and bold; the Fairy Lights deck is softer, with misty gray borders to the cards.

I'll come right out and admit I prefer the Universal Fantasy deck. I find the images detailed and intriguing. I feel pulled in by these cards, and I made an almost immediate connection to them.

The Fairy Lights deck feels too amorphous by comparison. Almost as if I can't grasp their meaning. And it may be that they are suffering proximity bias—that because I connected so strongly with the other deck, they just can't live up to expectations. So I'll keep working with this deck to see if we can forge a stronger bond.

Above is a sample reading. The same three cards from each deck: 4 of Wands, 7 of Pentacles, 3 of Wands. The top row is the Universal Fantasy Tarot, and the bottom row is the Fairy Lights.

The art on both is beautiful. But they have very different vibes. The Universal Fantasy deck incorporates the four wands, the seven pentacles, the three wands. The Fairy Lights deck relies on the number at the top of the card and the symbol at the bottom for you to know which card it's meant to be.

However, I will say the meanings in the booklet for the Universal Fantasy deck seem only tangentially related to the cards' images, while the booklet for the Fairy Lights deck seems more in tune with the cards themselves. Also, the Fairy Lights booklet explains that the cards are meant to be laid next to one another to form a kind of story—the images should bleed into one another to create a portrait of your answer. There is a dreamlike quality to this, and I feel this deck requires you to sort of be in a dreamlike state to use it effectively.

I'll continue to work with both decks. I've found the trick is often choosing the right deck for the right moment and question. With so many options, I often have to close my eyes and meditate before selecting. But just as often I'll feel pulled to a particular deck or oracle before I even realize I have a question. I'm curious to learn where these two will insert themselves.

The Raven's Prophecy Tarot

Every year around this time I'm inundated with new tarot and oracle decks. This is because we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas, and my birthday is also the week before Christmas, so . . . Once a year I basically am showered with presents. (And I don't mind admitting I love it!)

So here's a deck that was given to me for my birthday: The Raven's Prophecy Tarot. I love ravens and crows and blackbirds in general, so this is a great deck for me. There aren't ravens on every card, though. At first I found that kind of confusing. I was like, Where are the ravens? There are several, of course, but they aren't pervasive. It makes sense if you think about it. Too many ravens would feel forced, like the cards were a slave to the theme. Instead, this deck feels very natural and organic.

And I really love the artwork. My guess is it's done with pastels, but I don't really know. It's colorful and contrasts beautifully with the black backgrounds on the cards. Vivid.

Each suit has a motif. The Cups feature the ravens and/or feathers. The Coins (Pentacles) are roses, which speaks to that suit being the Earth suit, all about nurturing and growing things. The Sword cards have hands on them. The Wands are naturally lights and fires, being that Wands represent the element of Fire. And the Major Arcana use various of all these images. It's quite beautifully done.

The corresponding book gives nice 1–2 page descriptions for each card including 3–4 keywords for each as well. I will say I don't always entirely comprehend the written "stories" for each of these cards (they're a tad flowery and artistic, and I sometimes just want something plain and direct), but my working understanding of tarot + the keywords is enough for me. And I overall like the way these cards feel in my hands. They're a good size and weight, easy to shuffle. I also like the way they read. They aren't stark—there is depth to the readings—but they are also not vague or obscure, which was my fear with something so artistic. Again, that might be because I'm bringing a few years' worth of understanding of tarot to the table with me; I don't know how these cards might work for a beginner. But for an intermediate reader like me, they're just different enough from the traditional to keep things interesting. I would certainly choose them for situations in which I need depth of insight but also want some kind of answer rather than just a signpost, because I think this deck is capable of both.

Chakra Wisdom Oracle & Osho Zen Tarot

More birthday goodies!

I like that my dear friend sent these, and though they aren't necessarily the kinds of decks I normally go for, I'm enjoying playing with some new and different energies.

The Chakra Wisdom Oracle has 49 cards separated into (you guessed it) seven sets of seven, color coded by chakra. Now I don't know a whole lot about chakras. I know there are seven of them and they have different colors. That's about it. So lucky for me there's a really nice, full-color guide that comes with these cards to explain things.

When I first looked through the deck—I always go through a new deck and familiarize myself with it, get to know it a bit—I was a little confused by the images. They didn't seem to always match the name of the card. And when I read the descriptions of the cards in the book, they were sometimes not what I would immediately expect either. Which is to say this is not a quickie oracle. This is one you have to take time to get to know, and you do better if you go with intuition over trying to reason things out logically.

sample Chakra Wisdom Oracle reading

I mean, look at that Recovery card up there. It's like, "What now?" But that's because each card has a story. So reading about the card in the guidebook is a must.

I do like these cards. It will take me a while to get the hang of them, perhaps, but so far I've enjoyed the bit of work I've done with them. They've been consistent and direct but also gentle.

The same dear friend also sent the Osho Zen Tarot. (This friend is a Buddhist Reiki master.) What struck me when I opened these cards was that the cards were not pre-sorted in a natural order. Normally when I receive a deck, the cards are packaged by suit. These were just . . . random. And I feel like that says something about this deck in general.

sample 3-card Osho Zen Tarot reading

The tarot suits are all there. Kind of. They're different in that the court cards are not people, per se, and the four suits are Fire: Action, Water: Emotions, Clouds: The Mind, and Rainbows: The Physical. I'm not sure how I feel about the somewhat cutesy "Ice-Olation" (what we would think of as the 3 of Swords), but on the whole I do find the changes to the traditional deck interesting. There's a different feel to these cards; they answer less directly because they want you to work for it. They want you to go deeper and really examine the situation—what you're asking, why you're asking, and so on. There's a sense these cards want to say, "You know the answer if you just stop and think about it. So we're going to throw some signposts up but it's on you to follow through to the destination."

In short, if you want a quick answer, something surface, don't ask Osho Zen. But if there's something you need to get to the root of, these cards are going to be great for that. I look forward to exploring further with them.

Romantic Tarot & Energy Oracle Cards

Received a couple new decks in advance of Hanukkah/Christmas/my birthday!

The first is the Romantic Tarot by Lo Scarabeo. So far I'm really enjoying it. I love the artwork and the conceit of having each suit set in a different romantic city. The little book has great descriptions for each card, too, which usually I find Lo Scarabeo's card descriptions (or the translations of them) a tad weak, so this one is a nice surprise. It gives each card a sort of name—for example, the 3 of Cups is "The House of Love." Then it gives a short explanation. Continuing with the current example: "The body is happy when it has what it wants." Finally there is a single keyword, in this case: "Happiness."

3 of Cups, Knight of Wands, Judgement, Strength

The cards cleverly include symbols that show the suit and number, but they are also clearly marked with the number at the top and the suit depicted at the bottom. For the Major Arcana, only the Roman numeral is used, so you may want to have a passing knowledge of the cards, though the book will also clearly tell you what each card is.

NOTE, however, that though the VIII card depicts Strength, in the booklet VIII is listed as Justice (similarly, card XI is clearly Justice though the booklet names it as Strength). A minor mixup, but one that might be a problem for those not better versed in the cards.

In short, I enjoy the stories these cards suggest and very much like the art and, well, romanticism of them. Verdict is still out on how well they read; we're still getting to know one another. But I did feel almost immediately friendly with them.

Now the Energy Oracle is a fairly well-known deck, I think. I see it around a lot online, and I've wanted it for ages. So I'm very excited to have it.

These are 53 cards that cover a number of situations, including the seven chakras. Unlike some oracles, I feel like this one is pretty clear and plain-spoken. I appreciate that when I draw a card the answer makes sense rather than feeling obscure.

The guidebook also expounds on whatever message the card(s) you draw might be trying to give. It is, in short, a fabulous deck, and I can see why so many like it.

One tiny beef I have is in its production values. The laminate on the deck I received is streaky, and in some cases damaged and peeling away from the backs of the cards. So points deducted for poor manufacturing.

New York Lenormand & Burning Serpent Oracle

I recently participated in an Indiegogo campaign for new Lenormand cards by Robert M. Place. I've long enjoyed his Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery and was excited to have more decks by him. In this case, I got the Lenormand deck and the Burning Serpent Oracle.

I own a number of Lenormand decks now but none as traditional looking at this one. But even this one is a bit different because I chose the deck (there were options) that included Tarot correspondences instead of the playing cards normally featured on a Lenormand deck.

So instead of the Ace of Clubs, you see the Ring card above has the Ace of Wands on it. I find this adds an interesting new layer to my readings. (Your mileage may vary, depending on how well you know Tarot; if you have to run and look up each Tarot card, having them present on your Lenormand deck may only make things more complicated.)

I like the size of these cards, too; they're a little larger than my others. But beware the sharp corners!

And be sure you either already know Lenormand or have a handy reference book because this deck did not come with a manual.

The Burning Serpent Oracle, however, came with both a small reference pamphlet and a larger book that gives more details about each card. This oracle is more or less a Lenormand deck with some tweaks. For example, instead of a Child card, this deck has The Boy and The Girl. It also comes with two Man cards and two Woman cards so that one can either read for same-sex partners or can assign various identities to cards—one might be a partner and the other might stand for "any other man," or one might be someone you know and the other stand for someone you don't know, or something like that.

Sample 3-card reading from Burning Serpent

The Burning Serpent also has two additional cards: Osiris and Isis. According to the companion book, these represent the higher self of man and woman. Additional meanings for Osiris include possible danger from an unexpected source, while Isis may stand for achieving something thought impossible. When you think about their myths, this makes sense.

It's a lovely deck and I'm very much enjoying it. Both the New York Lenormand and the Burning Serpent Oracle are wonderful additions to my growing collection.

Lenormand Silhouettes

From the folks who brought us the lovely Under the Roses Lenormand comes this deck derived from Victorian silhouettes.

I'm not sure what it is about this deck that caught my fancy when I saw someone using it on Facebook. Perhaps the simplicity, or maybe my love of all things Victorian. In any case, it's a nice balance against the ornateness of my Enchanted Lenormand deck.

The cards came packed in no particular order, so I was obliged to sort them and make sure I had them all. No worries, and it didn't take long. There are some alternate cards to this deck as well:

I'll admit I'm a cat person, so . . . Nice touch. Though when reading for loyalty and friendship, the Dog card still feels more appropriate.

Sometimes I leave all the alternate cards in and assign them different meanings. For example, one Lady card might mean me while the other means "some other woman." The Dog card might mean a specific friend whom I see regularly versus the Cat meaning a friend at a distance whom I do not see often. And as I have a daughter and two sons, the children might be divided by gender, or else I'll assign one to mean actual children and one to mean "a new start" or "a new project."

Instead of coming with a booklet, this deck comes with additional cards that give instructions and keywords. I'm guessing this was less expensive than producing a booklet, though it is a tad unwieldy to shuffle through separate cards. Below, two sample 5-card spreads with the Lady and Gentleman cards as significators:

I will say I was surprised and pleased with the promptness of my order since it was originally marked to be sent out on 30 June but shipped sooner. The cards are of good stock and size akin to the Under the Roses deck. During practice readings, the clear and simple images gave an overall feeling of directness and no nonsense, and I found I was able to interpret the cards relatively easily, though that may be due to plenty of practice in general. In all, these make a lovely addition to my collection, and I look forward to reading with them.

Tarot Readings

Yes, I do give readings. You can order one on my Tarot site. I'll be expanding to add Past Life Karma astrology chart readings soon as well.

Please also follow me on Facebook, as I post daily cards and guidance. And on Twitter at @amstartarot

My Decks

My husband gave me a bunch of Tarot and oracle decks for Mother's Day/our anniversary, and I have this urge to catalogue my collection. I have a cabinet in my office in which I keep my decks and candles and related books. Seems like I'm going to need more space, or at least a better organizational system before long.

Tarot Decks
Alchemy 1977 England Tarot
Daemon Tarot
Fairy Lights Tarot
Fantastical Creatures Tarot
Golden Botticelli Tarot
Guardian Angel Tarot
Harmonious Tarot
Hermetic Tarot
Infinite Visions Tarot
Labyrinth Tarot
Lover's Path Tarot
Manga Tarot
Mystic Dreamer Tarot
Mystic Faerie Tarot
New Orleans Voodoo Tarot
Old English Tarot
Osho Zen Tarot
Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Rider-Waite Tarot
Paulina Tarot
Quick & Easy Tarot
Raven's Prophecy Tarot
Renaissance Tarot
Romantic Tarot
Shadowscapes Tarot
Sherlock Holmes Tarot
Steampunk Tarot
Tarot Illuminati
Tarot of Delphi
Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery
Tarot Mucha
Universal Fantasy Tarot
Victorian Fairy Tarot
Victorian Romance Tarot
Victorian Steampunk Tarot
X: The Tarot

Lenormand
Enchanted Lenormand
Lenormand Silhouettes
New York Lenormand
Notebook Lenormand
Under the Roses Lenormand

Oracles & Other Cards
Ancient Feminine Wisdom of Goddesses & Heroines
Ascended Masters Oracle
Book of Doors Divination Deck
Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards
Clow Cards
Color Oracle
Druid Animal Oracle
Enchanted Map Oracle
Energy Oracle Cards
Faeries' Oracle
Fantod Pack
Goddess Guidance Oracle
Gong Hee Fot Choy*
Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling Cards
Karma Cards
Numerology Guidance Cards
Past Life Oracle
Romance Angels Oracle
Sacred World Oracle
Vintage Wisdom Oracle

*The Gong Hee Fot Choy is read with a regular pack of playing cards.

Some of these I use every day. Some I use only when led to. And with so many new decks, I'll be learning . . . Each deck is like meeting a new person and getting used to him or her. Some you take to right away—I bonded with the Botticelli immediately—some take more time, and some you might never feel entirely comfortable with (Hermetic and I never gelled). Just as with people, some you like right away, some take a while to get to know, and some you never quite figure out. But each has its own distinct personality.

I do a Lenormand and Color Oracle reading each morning. Sometimes I'll feel led to draw a Tarot or oracle card for the day, too. I do a weekly Tarot reading at the start of each week as well. And in order to justify my collection, I've been known to give readings to friends and via email; they either choose from my many decks, or I choose one that feels right for the reading.

With so many new cards to play with, you can expect to see some reviews popping up over the next few weeks. But remember, these reviews reflect my preferences; you may have a completely different reaction to any of these decks.

Fantod Pack by Edward Gorey

A little tongue-in-cheek divination from the late and lovely Mr. Gorey. The Fantod Pack is a collection of 20 cards designed to tell you just what disaster(s) might befall you.

The cards come with a booklet that gives a brief history of Madame Groeda Weyrd, interpreter of said cards, though she refuses to divulge their mystic origin. The booklet also instructs on how to use the cards, then lists each card and its various interpretations. (These lists are really just the possible difficulties, disturbances, and dreadful things that might arise to hound you.)

The Fantod Pack is out of print, I believe, but Amazon still has a number of buying options. As a fan of Gorey and a collector of Tarot and oracle cards, for me they were a must have. They combine all the dark, fantastical art of Gorey with his unique humor and channel it into the perfect outlet. Still, if you're hoping for serious divination, you probably want something else.

Box + sampling of cards

Sample lists from the booklet

Then again, I must say, when following the instructions in the booklet, I've had a rather accurate reading . . . But with so many options per card, it would be a wonder if I couldn't find something to fit the bill.

Gong Hee Fot Choy

I've had a rough couple weeks and decided to try out this book/"game" for a bit of a break. I found it at Half Price Books for, like, six bucks, and it seemed to fit in with my love for Tarot and Lenormand. Hey, I'm always on the lookout for new cards to "read."

Gong Hee Fot Choy is a book and (what they call) a game board; you have to supply your own playing cards. Anyway, I don't know if there are a lot of different versions of this, but for the record, mine is the Third Edition by Margarete Ward.

So here's what you do: Get some playing cards and remove the jokers, twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes. You should have 32 cards left. Then lay out the board, which is really just a folded sheet. Shuffle the cards and make a wish. Then place a card on each "House" on the board.

It'll look something like this:

You'll notice the cards don't quite lie flat, which is kind of a nuisance; in fact, that is my one main complaint about this whole thing. The "board" won't lay flat, so the cards kind of slide around when you lay them out.

The book that accompanies the board gives detailed meanings for each card in each of the Houses. For example, in the spread above, that Ace of Spades (the death card) in my House of Compass means: "someone who has passed on is trying to contact you. Relax and call to name in silence each person that you love that is on another plane. You will greet them and they will be very happy."

There's a bit of a learning curve in immediately identifying patterns and messages in the cards, but the more I've worked with this, the more quickly it comes. For example, I now have it fixed in my brain that the Ace of Hearts is the abode card, and in the above spread it lands in the House of Undertaking. Even without the guide book, I can hazard a guess that means there may be a home project afoot at some point. Or, since I work from home, some new project of mine will become a major undertaking.

A passing knowledge of Tarot helps in some cases but not all. The Nine of Hearts = the Nine of Cups in that each are the "wish card." But the Ace of Spades, aforementioned as the death card, is not exactly the same as the Ace of Swords here. There are some similarities, then, but it's not an exact correspondence.

I like this; it's fun. But I would recommend one include an element of timing in one's wish or reading, since otherwise it feels rather open-ended. To wish for something to happen, and then have a reading that suggests it will, naturally leaves one wondering, "When?" So maybe wish for something to happen within a certain time frame. Or, if doing a general reading, make it for the week or month or something and see how that plays out for you. Since I've only just started this myself, I can't attest to the accuracy. But it did give me some encouragement, so I'm hoping it's at least somewhat on the mark.

Books: Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss, M.D.

My aesthetician recommended this book to me, knowing that I have a passing interest in past lives and the spiritual. It is, apparently, a cornerstone book in reincarnation literature. And anyway, I recognized Dr. Weiss' name from those Past Life Oracle Cards.

This book in particular is Dr. Weiss' story of a patient named Catherine who came to him with many severe phobias (he's a psychiatrist), and when traditional therapy was not working, hypnotic regression was tried. These regressions revealed not only Catherine's childhood but past lives as well. And sometimes "Masters" would come through and tell Dr. Weiss things about life beyond this one.

I honestly don't know what I think about all this.

On the one hand, I have a natural resistance (or maybe it's a resistance that has been bred into me by my religious upbringing and the world at large). But then, Dr. Weiss exhibits this same hesitancy when he writes about what was happening with Catherine. He goes through the logical possibilities and can find no other explanation than: It's true. Reincarnation is real, and there are spirit guides and Masters on another plane that are there to help us and teach us.

Of course, this is just one woman. She could have been a fluke. But Dr. Weiss claims at the end of this book to have since regressed others into past lives as well.

These past few years, I've been plumbing the depths of my own spirituality and intuition. I can put myself into a trance state, and I've experienced some interesting things that may have been past lives. I guess there's always that iota of doubt. As a writer, I sometimes wonder if I'm "making stuff up." But these things look and feel different from my imagination. And I've had many psychics tell me I should trust what I'm seeing and feeling and sensing. (I've also had them tell me that sometimes, the stories I'm writing that just have to come out, may be based on past life experiences. Um . . .)

And maybe my "Masters" are represented by the weird little pantheon of celebrities that turn up in my dreams to tell me things.

I'd like to maybe have a professional regression some day. Just to see what that's like and how it differs, see if anything different surfaces.

I'm not going to rule on this one way or another. At the very least, I think Dr. Weiss has written an interesting book, one that is food for thought. And if it makes people a little less frightened of death and "what comes after," he's done the world a service.

I know he's written a number of other books since. Don't know if I'll read them. It's a lot to chew over, so I'm not ready for another big meal just yet. (And then again, if it's more of the same, I'd rather eat something else in the meantime.)

Past Life Oracle Cards

One would assume these cards have limited use, and I wouldn't have bought them if not for the fact some spreads I wanted to try more or less required them as a base. There are 44 cards featuring stock photos (including one that looks very like a photo I once took, and I half wondered whether someone had pulled it off the Web). The cards say things like "Love Life" and "Atlantis" and "Orphan." One can more or less interpret without too much trouble what these might mean, but there is a booklet, of course, that provides more details, so that when you pull "Galactic" you can learn that this means this may be your soul's first visit to our particular world.

The Past Life Oracle is one of the myriad Doreen Virtue decks, of which I own a handful. This one feels like a bit of a stretch, but credit where it's due: It is very consistent. I tried a few different spreads, and each time it told me I was a "Monk or Nun" in a previous life. I also pulled "Scribe or Writer" repeatedly, so I have to wonder whether the cards are tuning into now, or if I really was a writer in another lifetime as well. (Maybe a scribe in a monastery?)

Some of the cards say things like "Phobias," which means current fears may be caused by past-life issues. A card like "Ships" can mean prior lifetimes on the sea are somehow impacting your current situation.

I'd guess at best this deck is a starting point for people hoping to explore their previous lifetimes. They might act as signposts for what came before, what is influencing you subconsciously. For details one would probably need to go through one of those guided regressions.

As for me, I am vividly aware of one past life and have only inklings of others. This oracle deck has kindled my interest but not really triggered anything deep in me. (I haven't tried it with anyone else yet.) And maybe that's not its job. But I do feel like it falls a bit short, like there should be more cards and categories: places, occupations, relationships, time periods, etc. Like the deck was rushed into production and could have been much better and more thorough in some ways. As it stands, it comes off as somewhat slapdash and with limited functionality.

Infinite Visions Tarot & Color Intuitive Oracle

I've just received the most expensive tarot deck I've ever bought: the Infinite Visions Tarot. I wouldn't have bought it, but then I received some money for my birthday and Christmas, and what's birthday money for if not to buy yourself something you otherwise wouldn't?

Thing is, I'm a sucker for art decks. I love my Tarot of Delphi, which is similar in that it uses fine art. But while that deck uses the artwork as is, Infinite Visions has combined art to create new images.

The deck itself is printed on an unusual, slippery material, but it is not difficult to hold or shuffle. And Lisa Frideborg would be glad to know there are no borders on these cards, either! There are some places where the images appear a bit blurry, but overall the artwork is quite lovely. The deck comes with a certificate of authenticity and each is numbered, too.

Sample Relationship Reading

Sample Reading re a project

An interesting addition to the Infinite Visions deck is a Dark Magician and Dark Priestess card, basically the shadow sides of the Magician and High Priestess. While on the whole I have to say the booklet that comes with this deck is not very helpful (and I would say you would probably want to already have working knowledge of the tarot before using this deck), the descriptions for these two additional cards are illuminating and I like having them.

Magician, Dark Magician
High Priestess, Dark Priestess

You'll see that the Magician is almost biblical in form while his shadow side is Nazgul-like. And while the High Priestess works by purifying moonlight, the Dark Priestess has the same image as from the Devil card hanging over her shoulder.

Because I sometimes have trouble reading the High Priestess in spreads, splitting her into two personas actually works better for me.

With my birthday money, I also treated myself to Meg Hill's Color Intuitive oracle. I'd seen them used on Facebook and just had to give them a try. I'm loving them!

A Past–Present–Future Reading

The stack of cards is deceptively thin because they are printed on lighter weight stock, but they are also easy to shuffle, which is impressive given they are a fairly large size. Each card has a color and keywords printed on it, but the booklet that accompanies the deck offers greater insight to each color. I got the bonus deck, which has 54 cards + 9 bonus cards, and I'm having a great time with them. I'm enjoying expanding beyond just tarot and Lenormand, too.